1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to electrical connectors and, more particularly, to an electrical connector having cables extending in parallel to a circuit board on which a mating connector is mounted.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese patent application Kokoku No. 24908/83 discloses a connector having a cable extending in a direction perpendicular to the plugging direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the connector includes a housing body 51 with a raised section 52 and two types of contact elements 53 and 54 arranged in a direction perpendicular to the sheet. The shorter contact elements 54 are arranged in a zigzag fashion in two rows. A pair of frame members 55 are attached to the housing body 51 for enclosing the connection sections 53A and 54A of the contact elements 53 and 54 and defining a receiving cavity 56 for receiving a mating connector. The press connection sections 53B and 54B of the contact elements 53 and 54 have connection slits which are brought into contact with core wires of a cable C when the cable C is press connected to the contact elements 53 and 54.
A cable holder 61 is mounted on the housing body 51. The cable holder 61 has a cavity for receiving the raised section 52 of the housing body 51 Two cable inlets 63 and 64 are formed in the holding member 61 in two planes perpendicular to the contact elements 53 and 54. The cable inlet 63 is formed as grooves in the bottom of the cavity 62 which communicate with slot 63A into which insulated conductors of a cable C (flat or usual cable) are placed, and the other cable inlet 64 is formed as grooves 64 extending in parallel to the cable inlet 63. Guide slots 65 and 66 are formed at right angles with the cable inlets 63 and 64 for guiding the press connection sections 53B and 54B of the contact elements 53 and 54.
Two rows of insulated conductors of a flat cable C are placed in the respective cable inlets 63 and 64 of the cable holder 61. Then, the cable holder 61 is pressed against the housing body 51 such that the press connection sections 53B and 54B of contact elements 53 and 54 are put into the guide slots 65 and 66. The opposed blade portions of the press connection sections 53B and 54B cut the insulation of the conductors and contact the core wires of the cable. Thus, the cable is connected in two tiers thereby increasing the connection density.
However, the height of the cable holder 61 is at least the press connection sections 53B necessary for the two-tier press connection, failing to provide a low profile connector.
The connector having a cable extending at right angles to the plugging direction is connected to a mating connector mounted on a circuit board for example. In some cases, a plurality of circuit boards are mounted in equipment in parallel to each other between which the connector is used. Such an application, the height of the connector must be small.
There is a contact element having a small press connection section. The contact element is made by stamping a metal sheet to provide a press connection section in the form of a triangular blade which cut into the core wire of a cable. Consequently, the press connection section neither cuts through the cable nor projects from the cable to a large extent so that the height of the connector is reduced by that much. However, this connector fails to connect a cable in two tiers .